Flush tank valve

ABSTRACT

A FLUSH VALVE FOR TOILET WATER TANKS WHICH COMES AS A UNIT AND CAN BE INSTALLED BY SETTING IT OVER THE DRAIN PIPE AND CONNECTING TO THE LIFT LEVER. THE VALVE CONTAINS WEIGHTS TO HOLD THE DEVICE IN PLACE AND A BUOYANT SEALING CUP ASSOCIATED WITH A STEM WHICH OPERATES IN A SLEEVE.

Jan. 19, 1971 T. THOMAS 3,555,572

- FLUSH TANK VALVE Filed Jan. 6, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Invent-or Thomas Thom as Jan. 19, 1971 T. THOMAS FLUSH TANK VALVE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 6, 1969 Inventor i al-1:

ABSTRA CT or THE DISCLOSURE f A flush 'valve for toilet water tanks which comes as a t ait and can be installed by setting'it over the drain pipe and connecting to the'lift; lever. The valve contains weights to hold the device in place and a buoyant sealing cup associated with a stem which operates in a sleeve.

This invention ielatestda flush valve for toilet water tanks land more partictilarly to iiflush valve assembly which can be aeqniredas a unit and can be installed without any specialme'chanical skill.

The ordinary toilet bowl is flushed by tripping a valve mechanismfin the'water closet. The tripping action usually raises a valve closure device from its seat and permits the water'to run out. When the water reaches a certain level in the tank, the valve automatically Settles onto the valve seat and the tank again fills with water. Many types of valve assemblies have been"p'roposed and most of them are ratherj complex mechanisms which are more or less permanently attached to the water tank by connections to the outlet pipe, the overflow pipe or to other parts of th tank Such assemblies are repaired by skilled plumbers who repair orreplace'certain parts rather than replace the entire unit. The units areusually not readily available" and, if they were, the common householder Would'r rot understand how to replace the unit.

The principal object ofthe present invention is to proyide a flushing' unit which is easily installedand requires no attachment other than a loose linkage to the tripping arm of the water tank. f n I Another object of the invention is to produce a flush valve'assemblywhich"fits any ordinary toilet water tank and 'is economical to purchase and toinstall.

Also an object of theinvention is to devisea flush valve assembly which can be set over hr in the outlet of the water tank and be held in place by weights.

In accordance withthe invention, the flush valve assembly contains a guiderod and sleeve which are attached by a loose linkage to the valve'lifting lever and are the only parts requiring any connection to the water tank. The rod and sleeve are so constructed that either the rod slips up and down in the sleeve or the sleeve slips up and down on the rod. The rod or the sleeve which slips up and down as thecase may be carries a buoyant sealing unit which automatically centers over, the drain pipe. A diaphragm attached to the rod or the sleeve fits over the top of the drain pipe to form'a water tight seal. Weights properly placed and associated with the rod enable the mechanism to assume and maintain the proper position.

According to one aspect of the invention, the sleeve slides on the rod which is held in position by a weighted base. The base is of such shape and size that it will fit into the smallest commonly used drain pipes and yet of suflicient size to operate properly in the largest of ordinary toilet tank outlets. A diaphragm is secured between a nut on the rod and the base weight when the rod is screwed into the weight. The diaphragm has sufiicient surface to allow for a considerable margin of error in placing the base in the outlet as the base may be slightly off center in case the outlet is larger than the weight.

I "ice The bottom of the sleeve contains a thin, flexible, flat sealing surface which cooperates with the diaphragm to produce a water tight. seal. The sealing surface is preferably made a part of the buoyant cup which in turn is attached to the sleeve. The top of the sleeve is closed and a ring thereon serves for the attachment thereto of the flushing arm by means of a chain or other linkage. The diaphragm is somewhat larger than the sealing surface and provides an outer perimeter surface or flange on the upper side of which water will exert a pressure which together with the weights prevents the diaphragm from raising when the sealing unit is pulled upwardly through a sleeve in the diaphragm and in the weight.

the diaphragm being attached directly to the weight. In a further embodiment of the invention, the buoyant cup and the sealing unit are attached to the lower portion of the rod. The upper portion of the rod slides through a smaller sleeve in the top of a larger, inverted can-like member. The sealing unit is larger in diameter than the buoyant cup andprovides an outer perimeter or flange which slides within a sleeve formed by the inner'wall of the can-like member. The base of the can-like member is enlarged to set down over different size drain fittings. An important feature of the can-like member is that the weight thereof alone or by the addition of weights thereto is sufficient to hold the member down over the drain pipe. The can-like member has holes in the side and top at least equalin area to that of the drain pipe so that sufficient water can flow therethrough to keep the member full of water. The member may be made of metal, plastic or rubber for example, and weights may be used with the light materials to overcome any undue buoyancy. No diaphragm is necessary as the sealing-unit fits on the top of the drain pipe and, due to the pressure of the water thereon, remains tightly until the tank is flushed. The holes in the sides of the can-like .member are placed at the proper height so that the water will not empty therethrough but the refill water will flow on top of the seal and the pressure thereof will set the seal firmly on top of the drain.

For purposes of furtherdescription and illustration of the invention, reference will now be made to the acc0mpanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the flush valve assembly connected to the manually operated lifting lever of the water chest.

FIG. 2 isan elevation partly in section of the valve assembly showing the valve in a substantially closed position on the drain pipe.

FIG. 3 is a top view along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a top view along the line 44 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a top sectional view'along the line 5-5 of F1602.

FIG. 6 is a side view, partly in section, of another embodiment of the flush valve assembly.

FIG. 7 is atop view-along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a top view along the line 8,8"of FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a side view, partly in section, .ofstill another embodiment of the flush valve assembly.

FIG. 10 is atop view along the line 10-10 of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a side view, partly in section, of the canlike member lifted above the drain pipe and showing how the bottom is cut away to allow room for the drain. I

Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 15 show the embodiment in which the sleeve slides in the rod and the rod is held in position by a weighted base. The sleeve 10 is connected at its upper end by a chain 11 to the tripping arm 12 of a water tank 13. Attached to the lower end of the sleeve is a buoyant cup 15 containing at its bottom a flat sealing surface 16. The sleeve may be permanently attached to the buoyant cup or it may be detachably secured by threads 17 as shown in FIG. 2. Inside the sleeve 10 is a rod 18 which fits in operating relation in a bearing sleeve 20 of the buoyant cup 15. By means of the bearing sleeve 20, the sleeve 10 and the buoyant cup assembly can slide up and down on the rod 18. At the upper end of the rod is a stop 21 which also serves to hold the rod centered in a sleeve 10. Attached to the lower end of the rod 18 is a weight 22 which fits into the drain pipe 24 in the bottom of the water tank. Also attached to the rod 18 just above the weight is a diaphragm 25 having water openings 26 and a rather wide outer perimeter or flange 27 to fit on top of the drain pipe 24. The diaphragm 25 and the weight'22 are shown for purposes of illustration in FIG. 2 as threaded on the rod 18 and the diaphragm firmly held on top of the weight by a bur 28.

In the operation of the embodiment of FIGS. 15, the water in the tank forces the sealing surface 16 down on the diaphragm to form a water tight seal. When it is desired to flush the tank, the arm 12 is lifted to break the seal between the surface 16 and the diaphragm 25. The buoyant cup will then float and the Water will run out through the holes 26 to the drain pipe 24. When the water reaches a certain level, the sealing unit will again settle down on the diaphragm to form a water tight seal as a result of the water pressure on the top of the surface 16. The valve assembly may be easily removed or installed by unfastening the linkage 11 from the arm 12 and lifting it out or lowering it into the drain pipe as the case may be. The size of the weight should be suflicient to hold the assembly in place. The weight should be suflicient to at least overcome any buoyancy of the assembly and suflicient to retain the weight in the drain pipe and to hold the diaphragm down tightly on the top of the drain pipe. A minimum Weight of about of an ounce has been used but ordinarily a weight of about 2' or 3 ounces is preferable. The upper limit of the weight may vary considerably but it is desirable to avoid excessive weights because of economy and ease of handling.

In FIGS. 6-8, the embodiment of the invention is shown in which the buoyant cup 30 is attached to the upper end of the rod 31. A ring 32 at the top of the cup 30 provides means for attaching a linkage between the cup and the tripping arm of the water tank. The cup 30 is equipped with a sealing surface or flange 33 which cooperates with the diaphragm 34 which is attached to the weight 35. The rod 31 slides up and vdown through the sleeve 36 in the diaphragm and the weight. A stop or bur 38 is attached to the lower end of the rod 31.

The operation of the device of FIGS. 6-8 is essentially the same as that of FIGS. 1-5. For example, to flush the tank the tripping lever of the tank will lift the buoyant cup 33 to break the seal between the flange 33 and the diaphragm 34. The cup then floats until the water runs out at which time it settles down on the diaphragm and is held in sealing relation by the weight of the water on the flange 33.

The embodiment of FIGS. 9 11 contains the inverted can like member-40 provided with holes for 'the influx of water through the' sides and'top. The member 40 is open at the bottom and is big enough to fit over any size drain pipe and rest on the bottom 42 of the water tank. It is cut away at 43 to allow room for the overflow pipe 44 which is connected to the drain pipe 45 in accordance with standard construction of toilet water tanks. As shown in the drawings the bottom of the can-likemember 40 is enlarged at the bottom at 46 but this is optional. The top of said member containsfa sleeve 47 in.which therod 48 operates. A ring 49 is provided atthe top of the sleeve for a linkage connecting therodiwitlvthe lever of the water tank. A buoyant cup 50 is attached to the lower end of the rod by threads 51. The sealing surface'or flange 52 attached to the bottom of the cup is large enough to fit on top of any size drain 45. In this embodiment of the invention a diaphragm and weights to fit on the drain are necessary. The cup 50 either alone or withadded weights functions to hold the cup downin water tight relation on top of the drain pipe.

In the operation of the device of arm of the water tank is pushed. to lift the buoyant cup 50 and break the seal ofthe flange 52 on the drain pipe. The cup will then float and the water will run out of the tank. The cup will then settle back on the drain pipe to form a seal and the water will flo'w' from the tank into the can-like member through the holes'41 and press down on the flange 52..

The drawings are for purposes of illustration and the invention is not limited to the details" of construction shown therein but many variations may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. i

I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a flush valve assembly for a toilet water tank having a vertical drain pipe and a tripping lever, comprising a buoyant cup above the pipe, a centrally perforated flat diaphragm'plate for abutting the upper end of the pipe, weight means adapted to loosely fit in said pipe and connected to said plate for urging it into sealing engagement with upper end of said pipe, a guide sleeve connected to the central portion of said plate, a rod slidable in said sleeve and connected at its upper portion to said cup, detachable connecting means between the cup and the tripping lever, said cup being held by waterpressure in sealing engagement with the top of said plate whereby flow of water through the apertured plate is prevented until said cup is raised by said tripping lever, and said assembly except for said de-.

tachable connecting means being unattached to the water tank and pipe. I l

2. A device as defined in claim 1, in which the cup contains a flange on which the water exertspressure to facilitate holding the cup in sealing engagement with the top of the plate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS BENJAMIN W. WYCHE, Primary Examiner Us. Cl. X.R 4-s2, 58

Pros. 9 1' 1, the trip 

